Popsicles
by Iluvenis Telperien
Summary: Rukawa is happily married to Shinya and had a cute son. [Sequel to 'The Bride']
1. Prologue and Chapter 1

Popsicles

(Sequel to "The Bride")

Author: Silhouette

Email address: silhouette_panther@msn.com

Web: www.silhouette.cjb.net

Pairing: Rukawa X OC (Shinya Hiiragashi) 

Genre: Romance; Life

Disclaimer: Slam Dunk belongs to Dr T. Damned lucky guy.

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**Prologue**

"Kaede, I think I'm pregnant again." Whispered a smiling Shinya to her husband.

"Really! Looks like my 'efforts' in the past month had not been for naught." The usually aloof man smiled too, hugging his wife adoringly.  

"This time we are going to make sure you give me a bouncing baby, and no one and take it away from us." He stared deeply into her violet eyes, making the promise.

Shinya smiled blissfully and kissed Kaede.

* *

It was a happy day for the Rukawa family as they celebrated. After the miscarriage that Shinya had, the family was afraid that her womb may be damaged like some other women's and she would not be able to bear children.

"What are we going to name him?" The scan reports had came out and they found out that it was going to be a boy. "Ichiro. Rukawa Ichiro." Kaede replied solemnly.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"Oh my god!" Shinya screamed as she felt another violent contraption in her lower belly. The nurses soothed her panicky nerves by inducing her to breathe in deeply and inhaling heavily. 

~

Kaede paced outside the room, his stoic face blank, but to the careful observant, he was actually going mad with anticipation and worry. "Will Shinya and Ichiro be alright?" He bit his lower lip lightly.

~

"Shit shit shit shit! Aaaahh~! I hate you Rukawa Kaede! Why must you make me go through this?" Shinya shrieked mindlessly, gripping the bed sheets frantically, sweat trickling down her fair cheeks.  "Relax, relax, here, breathe in…" The nurse cooed, "The baby's going to come out soon."

~

He heard her scream and sighed to himself. She must be in real pain to yell things like that. "Hey, stop pacing already. The baby won't come out earlier if you pace more." Muttered a tired Sendoh Akira, seated on the bench.  

~

"I swear I'll make him sleep in the guestroom forever! Oh god~! Aaaaaaaah!" Shinya sobbed, closing her eyes to the pain. "Push! The baby's nearly out!" The doctor encouraged her, while using equipment to assist in the birth.

~

"There she goes again. Boy, she sounds like she's going to do it." Sendoh sighed.

" Don't be too amused yet, Ryoko's pregnant as well, isn't she?" Kaede snapped irritably.

"Two months. So meanwhile I try to get all the fun I can before she gives birth." Sendoh wriggled his eyebrows suggestively.

~

"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!"

The loud cry of the baby broke the tense atmosphere of the room.

~

"The child's born!" Sendoh stood up very quickly after Kaede.

"It's my son. My son. Rukawa Ichiro."

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What is life like for Rukawa and Shinya with a bouncing baby boy? Stay tuned, and do you want to tell me what you think?


	2. Chapter 2

Popsicles

(Series Two out of Four.)

Author: Silhouette

Story:

Series One: "The Bride"

Series Two: "Popsicles"

Series Three: "Amateur" 

Series Four: "Farewell"

Email address: silhouette_panther@msn.com

Web: www.silhouette.cjb.net

Pairing: Rukawa X OC (Shinya Hiiragashi) 

Genre: Romance; Life

Disclaimer: Slam Dunk belongs to Dr T. Damned lucky guy.

**Chapter 2**

He turned over in bed…

"Mwwwwwwwwwwaaaaah!! Waaaaaah! Waaah!"

The scream of a baby pierced the silence of the night. Rukawa sat up violently in bed. He was not a heavy sleeper, though he usually ignores everyone who disturbed him in his precious sleep. But this is different. 

Rukawa made his way off the bed and looked down the cot. The little bundle of clothes wriggled violently, waving his limbs in the air, screaming his guts out. Rukawa sighed, muttering under his breath, "Not again…Ichi…" He picked the bawling baby up in his arms, "Now Ichi, just bear with it for a while, Mummy's in the washroom, she'll be back to feed you soon, hush, hush, boys don't cry…"

Shinya came running in at the sound of her son crying, and stopped in her tracks to see her beloved husband cradling the baby in his arms, mumbling comforting lines to the baby, who just ignored him and continued wailing for his needs. She smiled adoringly at the sight, thinking, "What a perfect picture of Father and Son." Rukawa turned around, and saw his wife. A tiny frown tinged his expression, "Shinya, feed him. I don't want his lungs to burst." She laughed in a way he always loved – warm, heart moving, "Give me." She took the baby from his arms and proceeded to feed Ichiro. Rukawa's expression regained to one that is as emotional as a towel and went back to sleep.

She looked at the calm (expressionless) sleeping face of her husband and smiled again. Oh, she didn't think she'd be as happy as she was now. She recalled the times she had screamed and cried, refusing to marry Rukawa, "How silly I was." Shinya shook her head lightly, almost laughing. She loved every moment being Rukawa's wife and Ichiro's mother.

A small whimper from the little being in her arms indicated that he had finished feeding, and gradually dropping off to sleep. Shinya gently laid him chest down on her shoulders, patting his back lightly, humming a soft tune as she did that, until she heard a "Hic" from Ichiro. "Now goodnight, Ichi, and sleep well." She put him back into the cot, wiping off the light traces of milk at the corners of his tiny mouth.

She crawled back into bed, had a good look at the man beside her and fell asleep as well.

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End of Chapter 2

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[A/N: ^_^ No, she didn't fall asleep because she was tired of looking at Rukawa. Yeah, I know, it's a short chapter. ^__^]


	3. Chapter 3

Popsicles

(Series Two out of Four.)

Story:

Series One: "The Bride"

Series Two: "Popsicles"

Series Three: "Amateur" 

Series Four: "Farewell"

Pairing: Rukawa X OC (Shinya Hiiragashi) 

Genre: Romance; Life

Disclaimer: Slam Dunk belongs to Dr T. Damned lucky guy.

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[Author's notes: I realized that I haven't updated this story since 1 October last year. That was rather…long time ago, ne? [Sweatdrops lamely] I suppose I should continue before this story goes stale. My truckload of thanks to Shari who inspired me! *Hugs Shari*]

Chapter Three 

Shinya flopped on the bed, her eyelids heavy from fatigue. Ichiro slept in his cradle peacefully. Mothering an active, lively little baby boy wasn't easy, and she found herself required to wake at least three or four times in a night to tend to Ichiro's cries for attention. Rukawa was a responsible father and he did most of the work like bathing their son and taking him out for walks. However, there were still some things that she had to do, like feed Ichiro and put him to sleep. Family matters had been complicated to handle. 

Now that the sweet idyll of having a new baby is over, reality sank in fast. The young couple had moved out of the Rukawa Mansion after Rukawa found a condominium near his work place. He had said that he did not want to rely on his family too much. He worked hard in the company and the pay was good. Still, there was the stress of handling monthly bills and revenue. Shinya, being from an ordinary family, did not find things any different than that she was used to, and she never did complain. She felt satisfied that her husband loved her and their baby boy. 

The long day drained her of most of her strength, as it did daily, and she felt sleep overtaking her.

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Rukawa locked the door quietly, and called out, "Tadaima,"

When there was no reply, he knew that Shinya had probably fallen asleep again. He walked stealthily across the room and up the stairs to their bedroom. True enough, she was sleeping facedown and her angelic face was a shade of pale ivory. There were lines of fatigue under her eyes. Rukawa felt his heart ache. He had to work for long hours every day, and Shinya took most of the work in the house. They did not have servants, because she did not want to burden him with more matters of the finance. 

The baby slept peacefully.

Rukawa touched his wife's hair gently, smoothing back strands of her long dark hair lovingly. He could smell the familiar scent of jasmines. 

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Shinya opened her eyes, her vision unclear initially. She then saw that it was her husband, and she smiled.

"Kaede,"

"Tadaima," He whispered.

"Okaeri," She replied with an adoring smile to her lips. Rukawa kissed her gently and told her to sleep more, "You need the rest," He looked around at the clean house, knowing that she had spent the whole day doing housework. Shinya clasped her husband's hands, and shook her head, "Have to cook dinner," 

Rukawa felt Shinya's hands. The smooth fingers had became a little rough and there were wrinkled, white bits of skin around the finger nails – signs that she had been washing things for a long time. He caressed the fatigued hands and massaged them with tenderness, "Wear gloves,"

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[A/N: I want to write more, but the intestines are giving me problems, so I'd probably continue when I have the time and muse.]


	4. Chapter 4

Popsicles

(Series Two out of Four.)

Pairing: Rukawa X OC (Shinya Hiiragashi) 

Genre: Romance; Life

Disclaimer: Slam Dunk belongs to Dr T. Damned lucky guy.

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[Author's note: I seemed to take a long, long, time to update this. The next chapter will be up next year. Kidding. 

Mush alert! Si En, you've been warned not to read this. :) 

Oh… and I apologize to everyone who's been anticipating the update, and for any grammatical errors found in the story. I've done my best to edit it.)

**Chapter Four**

Shinya smoothed her hands over her long hair. She had kept it long for many years and only trimmed it occasionally to prevent the ends from splitting. Rukawa had loved to touch her hair and commented about the aroma of jasmines in her hair. She did not know why the scent was there, since she did not use jasmine-scented shampoo, but decided that it wasn't too bad to have hair smelling like sweet jasmine flowers. However, these days, she found herself doing quite a lot of housework, and the hair was giving her many problems. She didn't have a lot of time to wash her hair and dry it nowadays.

"I'd like to have it cut this way, and this, yes, thank you," She told the hairdresser, gesturing over her hair to indicate the way she'd like it styled.

"Are you sure you want to cut it that short?" The kindly middle-aged lady sighed, "Beautiful hair like this is hard to come by, you know, long, silky, and straight,"

She smiled at the compliment, "My hubby tells me that too, but I can't have the hair falling across my face each time I want to scrub the floors, and I'm starting to discover strands of hair in our dinner," Shinya made a face.

"Oh, well, it's too bad, my dear," The hairdresser went about working on the long tresses of hair, which fell to the ground gradually.

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Rukawa stared at his wife, his expression unfathomable, "You cut your hair," He said simply.

_('Damn it, why did you cut your hair?')_

"Yeah…it was too much of a trouble to keep long hair when I'm a housewife," Shinya put her arms around her husband affectionately, "Have you been a good boy today?"

"Yes, the CEO said I might expect to get a promotion at the end of the month," He looked into his wife's eyes.

"Goooood boy," She gave him a smack on the cheek, "I made dinner, come along,"

"I'll take a shower first," He ruffled her hair, now short and trimmed.

"Okay," 

Rukawa made his way into his study and put down his briefcase. His view fell on the photograph of him with Shinya. She still had her long hair then, and it was tied up neatly, with tresses falling across her shoulders and down to her waist. She looked delicately beautiful. Now…he recalled how she looked like with her hair trimmed so short. She didn't look that fragile and delicate anymore, but Rukawa thought with a small smile, she was never fragile. The short hair framing her heart-shaped face made her look just like what she was supposed to be. 

He pulled off his tie, walking into the room across, his bedroom. Ichiro was sleeping quietly in his cot, a thumb in his mouth. Rukawa felt his heart melting at the sight of his adorable son. The other day he had met his old friends. Sendoh had a daughter, while Sakuragi, Kiyota and Kogure were all engaged and they planned to push Maki into an engagement so that the four of them could hold a joint wedding. His friends said that he looked very different from what he looked like years before he got married. His eyes were no longer cold and hard, but gentle and sparkled with a love for his family. He spoke more too, mainly about his beloved wife and son. There was more humour and fun in him too, as he would smile at some of the jokes cracked. 

No longer the aloof, stuck up rich boy that everyone found awkward to be with, but a loving husband and father. 

Ichiro whimpered quietly in his sleep. Rukawa smiled, taking his shirt off and grabbing a towel from the clothes hanger by the window. 

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Shinya was definitely working too hard, Rukawa noted with a pang of guilt. He was hardly home from work, and she had done everything on her own. He decided that he would give her a break.

"But what about Ichi?" Shinya protested.

"We'll send him to my mother's place, or yours."

"My mother, then, she had five children, she'd know just what to do with a baby, but I don't…"

"Shin-chan, you need a break," He insisted gently.

"Okay…"

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On Sunday, they took Ichiro to the Hiiragashi residence.

"Aiyeeeeeee~ He's my nephew?" Shinya's younger sister Meiko cooed loudly.

"Yes he is, don't sound so horrified," Shinya rolled her eyes, patting her son, who was looking with bewilderment at his aunt who was fussing over him enthusiastically.

"Who said I'm horrified? He's so kawaii!!!!!" Meiko took Ichiro from his mother's hands, "Come, let me see you, big boy, haven't seen you since your first month,"

The three-month-old kid just stared with his big blue eyes.

"He behaves just like his dad!" Meiko giggled. 

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Rukawa came through the door.

"Hi Rukawa! Your son is just like you!" The youngest brother, Hikaru, grinned at his brother-in-law.

"Aye, thank you," Rukawa nodded.

Meanwhile, Shinya was telling her mother about what Ichiro needed.

"He must have his milk at noon, 3.30pm, and 5pm, I'll come and fetch him at 6pm," She explained tensely, "He likes his milk warm, Mum, and…"

"Calm down, Shin-chan, it's not like you are going to be away for a month!" Mrs Hiiragashi laughed, "I'll take very good care of my grandson, and I won't let the servants touch him," She assured her daughter. 

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The couple sat on the four-seater swing together. Shinya rested her head on Rukawa's shoulder. Both of them looked wistfully out into the distance. The autumn winds blowing softly across the shady park.

"It's been a long time since we had a date," Shinya remarked.

"Yeah,"

"Kaede,"

"Hm?"

"Have I told you that I love you very much?"

"No," Rukawa looked solemn, "And I'm not happy,"

"Sorry, darling," She kissed his cheek, "I love you,"

"…That's all?" He raised his eyebrow. Shinya sighed resignedly.

"All right, I love you a lot, very, very much. I can't believe I haven't told you that even though we were married for more than a year,"

"Naughty girl," He ruffled her hair.

"Kaede?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you love me?"

"…Yes. Very, very much,"

Both of them remained silent, enjoying each other's presence quietly. The sun faded gently over the horizon, and the leaves rustled in the wind.

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End file.
